The Flood tribunal must be allowed to examine payments by Mr Ray Burke to determine what they were used for, Mr Justice Flood has said.
He made a ruling on an objection raised by Mr Burke's counsel who said how he spent the money was irrelevant. Mr Aidan Walsh SC added that it was outside the terms of reference of the tribunal.
But Mr Justice Flood said the tribunal was an inquiry into political donations, and if Mr Burke said he received such donations it was reasonable to test what he said he spent them on. "It seems to me to be perfectly reasonable to look at individual payments out of that political fund and see what they were used for," the chairman said.
It was important to see the extent to which his personal expenditure encroached on the political expenditure from the funds.
"If it was used as income it may . . . call into question his explanation of the entire fund and the nature of it," he said.
The tribunal was told it would hear evidence from an AIB official next week regarding a bank account Mr Burke claimed he held in London but for which there were no records.
Mr Burke has said he owned an account in Bruton Street, but tribunal lawyers have been unable to trace records from the bank. Money was routed through the account to the Republic and the Isle of Man, according to Mr Burke.
An AIB official from the Isle of Man may also appear to give evidence on accounts held by Mr Burke in the Isle of Man and London.
Mr Patrick Hanratty SC, for the tribunal, said they were also trying to trace the whereabouts of Mr Tim McHale, who Mr Burke said was manager at the Bruton Street branch when he was doing business there.